


An Everyday Dinner

by AsheTarasovich (natalieashe), Boffin1710



Series: Love is... [3]
Category: James Bond (Craig movies)
Genre: Cooking, Domestic Fluff, Established Relationship, M/M, Recipes, distraction
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-04
Updated: 2017-03-04
Packaged: 2018-09-28 04:34:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,622
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10071767
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/natalieashe/pseuds/AsheTarasovich, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Boffin1710/pseuds/Boffin1710
Summary: Alec is home from a mission and finding it hard to settle.  Q proposes a lesson in the kitchen as distraction.(Normally Alec in the kitchen is a Bad Thing!)





	

“Bow tie pasta? Does it have to be bow tie? I can see shells and tubes, and everything but… oh, hold on… got it!”

The packet of dried pasta dropped into the basket and Alec was off again, muttering to himself, this time about Italian seasoning.

Q sighed and wondered yet again why he had tasked Alec with shopping for this lesson. “Where the herbs are, Alec. Not the fresh ones, dry. If you can’t find a mix then oregano and basil will do.”

Alec scanned the alphabetically ordered dried herbs, easily finding the two that Q mentioned, but the recipe stated ‘dried Italian seasoning’. Just dumping any old herbs in there was not detailed in the instructions. Alec needed ‘dried Italian seasoning’. Just as he was about to give up and call off the experiment, he spotted a small packet on a lower shelf. “Got it!” he crowed triumphantly, “Now… breadcrumbs… isn’t that just smushed up bread?”

“By the gravy granules usually. Surely you must have everything by now? You’ve been in Tesco for almost an hour!”

“Last ingredient ticked off, Q. See you at the flat.”

For once Q had made it back to the flat before Alec, which tonight he really didn't understand. How could a simple grocery list have turned into a major excursion?! Maybe he should have plotted it out as double o mission which would have made it more comfortable for Alec. However, it probably would have put Tesco into utter danger of being burnt to the ground or blown off the face of the earth. 

He had just wandered back downstairs from shedding and exchanging his Quartermaster outer attire for pyjama pants and a hoodie, desperately needing a glass of wine before the cooking adventure for the evening began, when Alec pushed through the front door laden with bags. 

"You know," Q struggled to uncork the wine, "I was beginning to wonder if Tesco was going to survive your shopping adventure without me coming to the rescue." Q shoved the wine bottle toward Alec with a plaintive look taking a couple of the bags from him in trade.

“You said it was an easy list to follow,” Alec complained, opening the wine with ease, “but then you subbed things in. A recipe is like… You know? It’s written like that because those are the measurements that are required of those exact ingredients or you don’t end up with the dish in question.”

Q shook his head, exasperated before they had even begun. He held out a pair of wine glasses for Alec to fill and then turned to the bags to investigate what exactly Alec had purchased.

“Well, it’s all here, at least. So, you’re in charge of prep, I’ll put it together. First off, set the temperature on the oven to preheat, then cook the pasta.”

“I can do that.” Alec pulled out a saucepan and immediately swapped it out for a larger one when Q shook his head. He studied the packaging for a long moment. “Where do we keep the kitchen scales?”

“Scales?” 

“We need 8 ounces. And do I boil the water before I put the pasta in, or put the pasta in and then bring it to the boil?” 

Alec was so intent on reading he didn’t notice Q’s open-mouthed shock. “Seriously, Alec? You make pasta at least once a week, and now you choose there has to be a proper way to do it? Just pour it in the pan. The way you usually do it is fine!”

“These instructions really aren’t very clear, Q, and I want to get it right.”

Wine glass in one hand, slotted spoon in the other, Q carefully retrieved the chicken pieces he had put into cook in the slow cooker early in the morn, so they could cool enough for him to shred. "Alec... you're making it more complicated than it really is even before we've started." 

Alec couldn't help but chuckle when he turned around at the sight of Q in his mismatched hoodie and pyjamas, wine glass in one hand, spoon in the other. Not exactly the picture of the ever efficient Quartermaster. 

"What?" Q smirked at him. 

"Not exactly the prim proper Quartermaster." Alec motioned towards him. "What would your minions say." 

"My minions do not occupy my kitchen and I doubt if they ever will, but there is an onion that needs chopped, thawed spinach to drain and my empty wine glass that needs your attention." Q waved his wine glass at him. "Although if there is any leftover, I'm sure my minions will be utterly jealous of my lunch of leftovers whilst they consume something takeaway out of a paper wrapper."

Alec topped up the wine glass that was being waved at him, and then went in search of a suitable kitchen knife to attack the onions. Attack being the operative word. 

"For a man who can carve up an enemy like the knife is an extension of his body, you're making that onion suffer. Chopped onion, Alec. Not massacred. And the aim is to try for roughly equal dice so it cooks evenly."

"I can hardly see it, my eyes are streaming so much. I think I must have bought the badass onions." Alec tried to clear the tears from his eyes with the back of his hand, almost slicing into his nose in the process. Q winced, but bit his tongue. Alec was touchy about his rare accidents with knives.

"This is nice." Q leaned against the counter waiting for Alec to catch up with the list of tasks he'd issued. He sipped at his wine watching his partner over the rim of his glass. Alec was still on edge from his last mission even though he'd been home almost a week. The cookery lesson had been Q's idea after the latest kitchen disaster which wrecked James' favourite saute pan. Thankfully, James was still in Bogota and the kitchen mail order company could deliver in three days. 

Suddenly Alec just stopped and stared at Q. Silent. Green eyes staring at him… maybe through him. Causing the instant debate in Q’s head, did he ask what Alec was thinking, where he was at the moment lost in his head. Or did he just ignore it and act as if nothing was wrong… which was sometimes the better option in post mission let down. 

“How about I help a tad and deal with the eggs?” Q cautiously wandered by Alec retrieving the large crockery bowl containing the unbroken eggs that needed beaten. “Check the pasta?” Q prodded Alec almost reaching out to touch his arm, but drawing his hand back remembering that Alec was chopping onions, knife in hand. Maybe not the wisest move. 

“Oh… yeah… right. Pasta” and suddenly Alec was back with him once more. “Wouldn’t want mushy pasta.” turning around to check the boiling pot. 

Q peered around him resting his hip against Alec’s larger frame, hoping to get him to relax more . “No mushy pasta. Al dente. Needs to bake also. Mushy pasta is nasty.” Q reached around him trying to snag a bit of pasta from the steaming pot. 

“You’re going to burn yourself, you little shite!” Alec rolled his eyes at him, a definite Q worthy reaction. 

“Just trying to see how done they are,” he juggled a hot bow tie from one hand to another blowing on it before popping it into his mouth, still hot. “Almost…” he muttered taking a gulp of his wine trying to cool his mouth from the hot pasta. 

Alec scraped the onions into the pan and pushed them around with a spatula until they were sizzling gently. Sometimes... often... the sheer normality of being home in the flat was strange, a world away from what felt like his real life. Q would understand, but Alec found it impossible to put into words.

"You said something about eggs?" Alec was aware that Q was moving around him cautiously. He was grateful but he hated the few days it took for them to regain the comfort other lovers took for granted. One of the reasons he agreed so readily to humour Q's cooking project.

"Yes, right here. Just need to get the seasoning right." He began tossing in shakes of this and pinches of that, from their well stocked herb and spice cupboard. 

"Woah, woah! What are you doing?" Alec abandoned his onions and pasta and leaned over to swipe the pepper from Q's hand. "Recipe, Q!"

"Break the rules, Alec. You know how good it feels" Q chuckled, snatching back the pepper. 

"You didn't measure!" Alec tried to unsuccessfully snatch it back again from him, as Q waved his prize in the air teasing Alec with his possession of it. 

"I have to be precise in R&D. Here I can be creative." He smirked gleefully at him, like a mad scientist gloating over his monster creating experiment. 

"Here. Deal with the cheese. You should be grateful I had you get the shredded variety and aren't making you grate it. Then the tomatoes and I'll deal with the artichokes." Glancing up at Alec to see him giving him a concerned look. 

"Don't look at me that way. I know what I'm doing."

"If you say so Quartermaster."

"Shush you... it will be delightfully wondrous when it’s all together and baked."

Alec dumped the cooked pasta into a colander and gave it vigorous shake, scattering starchy water droplets all over the counter. Meanwhile Q added the rest of the ingredients to the eggs, stealing pieces of chicken and artichoke to chew thoughtfully.

"Hey!" Alec tapped Q's hand, "there'll be none left before we get it in the oven, and I want to taste this wonderful creation in all its supposed glory."

"Then you had best occupy my hands with something else." Q picked up his wine glass and drained it, holding it out for a refill.

"Bottle is over there." Alec waved behind him at the counter. "I'm putting the finishing touches to my masterpiece." 

Instead of going for the bottle Q risked an arm around Alec's waist, leaning into his side. He smirked as Alec rearranged the mixture of ingredients evenly around the baking dish with a fork, ensuring a distribution that satisfied him. "And I thought I was the anal one."

"Into the oven!" Q raise his wine glass as if he was declaring 'off with his head' smirking at Alec who was still meticulously arranging the artichokes. "They're fine Alec. We're going to cover it with crumbles anyway."

"But..."

"Alec. In the oven."

"Bossy Quartermaster." But Alec followed his Quartermaster's orders out of habit and it was an automatic response to that voice. 

"Well I want to eat some time this eve." Wandering over to Alec, glass still in hand, and wiggled his way into Alec's arms. "Besides now we have 20 minutes. Did you miss me?" Q smirked up at him.

"Always." Alec rested his chin on Q's head, arms wrapping around the smaller man and hugging him close, staring at their reflection in the darkened kitchen window. This was what he missed. The closeness of another human being. No, not just any human being. Q.

"You've gone again" Q nudged Alec's arm gently with the base of the wineglass, careful not to startle him.

"Just thinking how lucky I am" Alec smirked down at him, "to have a partner who can cook. Ouch! And who tolerates my humour." Alec turned Q in his arms and pulled him close tilting Q's chin and running his thumb over Q's lower lip. "And, of course, who tolerates my moods." 

Alec kissed him lightly but Q had other ideas. One hand snaked around the back of Alec's neck and Q returned the kiss with fervour. "O...kay..." Alec murmured between kisses, blindly taking Q's wineglass from him and luckily finding the counter rather than the floor.

"It's mutual Alec.... Same... I'm not the easiest... person to live with... chased others away before." Words came out in broken sentence form between kisses. "But later after dinner... show you how easy I am about other things." 

Q dove in for another kiss just as the timer went off on his phone. "Crumble time!" Q wiggled around in Alec's arms turning towards the oven. 

"It smells amazing." Alec commented as he carefully took the hot dish out of the oven. 

"It will be amazing! And see it wasn't so complicated. Something you can throw together in no time and have a hot meal that isn't from a cardboard takeaway carton." Q tried to sneak a quick grab at another artichoke from the dish, only to have his hand smacked away. 

"No burnt fingers Q!" Mission mode voice appeared and Alec was overprotective when it still was just underneath the skin. 

Q backed away slightly from the dish and pushed the crumbles over to Alec for him to finish his masterpiece. "You do the honours."

 

Alec sprinkled the topping on the dish and returned it to the oven, eyes glued to the window in the door.

"What are you looking at?" Q leaned down next to Alec and peered into the oven. 

"Making sure it doesn't burn. So far no disasters. I really would like to sit down and eat dinner with you and find out what you have planned for afters, without being forced to rebuild the kitchen first." Alec turned to grin at him and knocked shoulders together.

"Ok, you guard the food, I'll go set the table. More wine?"

Alec hummed in agreement and kept his eyes fixed on the bake waiting for it to turn golden brown, and checking his watch obsessively every 30 seconds. "It's ready! Let's eat!"

Q had plates and table service sat at the kitchen island. Along with a crusty loaf of bread with creamery butter. Water glasses had appeared at some point and another unopened bottle of wine. Definitely a tad bit more sophisticated for attire of pyjama pants and a hoodie. 

Alec threw a kitchen towel onto the counter to set the hot dish on and took a seat next to Q. 

"See... it's perfect. Even without measuring," sliding his glass over for a refill. 

"Even without measuring..." Alec smirked at him. 

"Ohhh..." Q jumped up from the counter and grabbed his phone up from where it was charging on the opposite side of the room. "Must take a picture to send to James to show him we cooked and it's not burnt. And the kitchen is still standing." He perched on the edge of the counter trying to get a good angle. 

"Thank you." Q glanced up to find Alec staring at him. 

"For what?"

"The lesson. The distraction." Alec shrugged. "Making this a place I want to come back to. I'm not sure really what I'm trying to say, but... Maybe thank you for the everydayness?"

Q fiddled with his phone, sending the photograph to James' email for him to pick up later, giving himself a moment. 

"I don't think that's a real word, Alec, but I like it. And maybe it doesn't need to be said out loud. I think home-cooked food and plentiful wine, good company and a comfortable safe place to live, say it for us."

Alec smiled and began to scoop some of the wonderful gooey, cheesy, bake onto both their plates. Q spread butter thickly on a piece of crusty bread and chewed as he opened the new bottle. 

"Horribly sentimental, Quartermaster, but so very true. To us, and our kitchen! May we all survive many more joint efforts." They clinked their glasses in a toast, and then dived into their meal.


End file.
